Eltra Corp. v. Ringer
Encyclopedia
Eltra Corp. v. Ringer was a case in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
which determined that typefaces were not eligible for protection under U.S. copyright law. The United States Copyright Office
had refused to register a typeface design owned by Eltra Corporation, who filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The district court held that the design submitted did not qualify as a "work of art" under the 1909 Copyright Act. The appellate court affirmed this decision.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:*District of Maryland*Eastern District of North Carolina...
which determined that typefaces were not eligible for protection under U.S. copyright law. The United States Copyright Office
United States Copyright Office
The United States Copyright Office, a part of the Library of Congress, is the official U.S. government body that maintains records of copyright registration in the United States. It is used by copyright title searchers who are attempting to clear a chain of title for copyrighted works.The head of...
had refused to register a typeface design owned by Eltra Corporation, who filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The district court held that the design submitted did not qualify as a "work of art" under the 1909 Copyright Act. The appellate court affirmed this decision.
External links
- text of the Fourth Circuit opinion